A police car was set on fire; years later a Lexington Co. man is arrested, SC cops say
The years-long search for the person who set a police car on fire ended Monday when a man confessed to the crime, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said.
Roland Becker, 33, was arrested for willfully and deliberately setting a Pine Ridge Police Department patrol car on fire, SLED said in a news release.
The incident occurred on July 31, 2020, at the Town of Pine Ridge Police Department in Lexington County. That’s on Fish Hatchery Road, about 2 miles from the junction of Interstate 26 and Interstate 77.
Surveillance footage showed a man pouring gas from a can onto a Pine Ridge police car, setting it ablaze and running away before leaving in another car, according to an arrest warrant. The police car was destroyed.
After authorities shared the video and photos of the incident online, a citizen submitted a tip to Crimestoppers on March 24 that identified Becker, SLED said.
Becker, a West Columbia resident, admitted to setting the fire when he was interviewed by SLED agents, according to the release.
Becker was already locked up at the Lexington County Detention Center on unrelated grand larceny (value $10,000 or more) and burglary charges, according to jail records. While his bail was set at $10,000 for the third-degree arson charge, Becker remains behind bars after his bond was denied on the other unrelated crimes from a Feb. 17 arrest, records show.
SLED assisted in the investigation at the request of the Pine Ridge Police Department.
The 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office will prosecute the case.
Lexington County court records show Becker is facing pending charges from other past arrests. That includes failure to stop for a blue light, in addition to multiple more grand larceny (value $10,000 or more) and burglary charges from arrests in 2021 and again on Jan. 3, 2022.
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This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 2:18 PM.
